ABRAHAM “BAMBOL” TOLENTINO, as many have expected, won a fresh four-year term as president with his entire “Working Team” dominating the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) elections on Friday at the East Ocean Garden Restaurant in Parañaque City.
“The General Assembly has spoken,” said Tolentino, who garnered 45 votes representing 75 percent of the 61 voting members of the POC.
His opponent, baseball head Chito Loyzaga, got 15 votes in the elections that almost got tainted after the group opposing Tolentino filed a Temporary Restraining Order to stop the elections that are held once every four years.
The TRO filed by self-withdrawn second vice presidential candidate Robert Bachmann (wushu) in a Pasig City court never came and the elections proceeded without a hitch.
“I think the performance was the basis [of landslide victory],” Tolentino, 60, told reporters after the elections supervised by Atty. Teodoro Kalaw IV with Philippine Sports Commission commissioner Olivia “Bong” Coo and Letran-Calamba Rector and President Fr. Napoleon Encarnacion, OP, as members.
Basketball’s Al Panlilio ran unopposed and got 53 votes and his fellow “Working Team” bet Rep. Richard Gomez topped the race for second vice president, routing skateboarding’s Carl Sambrano, 37-22.
Dr. Jose Raul Canlas (surfing) was also unopposed as treasurer with 54 votes and Donaldo Caringal (volleyball) clinched 47 points, also beating by a mile Rodrigo Roque (12) for the “Working Team.”
Completing the Tolentino team’s lopsided victory were new Executive Board members Leonora Escollante (canoe-kayak, 45 votes), Alvin Aguilar (wrestling, 44 votes, Ferdinand Agustin (jiu-jitsu, 41 votes), Alexander Sulit (judo, 41 votes) and Leah Gonzales (fencing, 40 votes).
No one on the opposition “Together in Excellence” team headed by Bachmann put up a semblance of a tough fight in the proceedings that were completed in three hours.
“It’s not for me, but for the country, for the POC, and our athletes,” Tolentino, head of the PhilCycling whose national coaches for the road were present to show their full support, said.
“For the athletes, athletes, athletes,” Tolentino said.
Of the 61 voters, 58 were from national sports associations, two were from the Athletes Commission, and one was from International Olympic Committee representative Mikaela Cojuangco Jaworski.
Rugby was a no show in the elections.
